DUBAI’S 3-DAY SUPER-SALE PROMISES TO BE A BIG DEAL
RETAILERS SEE DEMAND FOR FASHION, ACCESSORIES
Shoppers are in the mood to pick up more stuff as malls and stores in Dubai get ready for a three-day super-sale starting today. With discounts of up to 90 per cent, retailers are making sure they give every reason for shoppers to show up from 10am.
For many shoppers, this is a chance to buy at lower prices ahead of their vacations, with retailer sources saying that prices on fashion and accessories will show off some of the highest discounts.
The month-end shopping bonanza also comes at a time when the prevailing sentiment among UAE consumers is ‘feeling good’ rather than the caution that was dominant during the last few weeks of 2022 and extending into the first quarter of this year.
But something changed during the run up to the Eid holidays in April. “It did seem there was a lot of pent up buying happening as shoppers felt more confident that the talk of a global recession was not going to happen any time soon,” a retailer said.
Car dealerships had one of their best months, sales of electronics and home appliances soared and shoppers were picking up the latest fashion collections. F&B outlets may talk about having to cope with higher food prices and rents, but there is no shortage of patrons.
“One in two consumers in the UAE engages in shopping at least once a week,” said Nacho San Martin, Managing Director — Mena at the consultancy GfK. “Nearly 60 per cent of UAE consumers agree that one of the significant factors they consider when choosing a brand is its ability to offer value for money.”
Close to Eid’s deals
This weekend’s mega-promotions are running close to the heavy shopping activity that took place late April during the Eid phase. Retailers though are confident shoppers will still turn up.
“Fashion should again prove another winner, but there is still so much demand for electronics,” said a gadget retailer. “The smartphone prices — even on flagship launches as recent as a month or so ago — have dropped as part of promotions.”
Ashish Panjabi, Chief Operating Officer at Jacky’s, said: “Demand still remains steady [for smartphones]. “If nothing else, the replacement cycle is big enough to ensure constant demand.”
A time for foldables
Within smartphones, the latest iterations of foldable models are starting to get a serious look-in from shoppers. If it was seen as more of a fancy gadget earlier, the foldable is getting close to going mainstream.
Huawei’s Mate X3 is catching the eye, while Honor is another apart from Samsung that’s got points to win. Retailers say they are just waiting for pricing to go slightly more ‘mainstream’ to really get the volumes working.
And then there is all the action in the property market. New residents keep moving in, existing ones are shifting to new homes (bought or rented), and these bring new needs in their wake.
Some of those needs could well be met during this three-day mega-sale.
Peak season sales do act as a growth catalyst. The Dubai Shopping Festival 2023 saw a 7% improvement in revenue generation.”
Nacho San Martin |
Managing Director of GfK
The Samsung Galaxy S23 sales have been quite strong. It has been a good year for this flagship. The S23 Ultra especially has been moving best.”
Ashish Panjabi | Chief operating officer at Jacky’s
With overnight foreign visitors at an all-time high, we are confident 2023 will be better than 2022 in like-for-like topline revenue.”
George Kunnappally |
Managing director, Nando’s Restaurants in Dubai